Social Sciences Division

“BIPOC has become a trendy acronym among people interested in diversity issues, but this is not good. The ‘B’ stands for Black people, the ‘I’ is for Indigenous persons and the ‘POC’ stands for people of color. This effectively shunts Hispanics or Latinos aside,” writes Carlos Gil, professor emeritus of history at the UW.

Ginny Burton, who is graduating with a degree in political science, shares her inspiring story about overcoming addiction.

How the Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies continues to address the most critical issues of our time.

Robert Stacey, who served on the faculty of the Department of History for 33 years and retires after serving as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, is honored.

Larry Gossett, monumental Seattle civil rights activist and the first UW student to graduate with a degree in African American Studies, has recieved the Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus, the highest honor bestowed upon a UW graduate.

It’s too early to tell whether MacKenzie Scott’s approach to giving will create a sea change in how other ultrawealthy donors give or what they support. Megan Ming Francis, associate professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

As an undergrad interested in criminal justice, Anthony Stokes has visited prisons, met with incarcerated men, and worked on court cases.

Resistance to the military coup in Myanmar continues to grow, and social media images now show a military force training to defend the shadow civilian government. Mary Callahan, associate professor of international studies at the UW, is interviewed.

Recording memories, reading thoughts and manipulating what another person sees through a device in their brain may seem like science fiction plots about a distant and troubled future. But a team of multi-disciplinary researchers say the first steps to inventing these technologies have already arrived. They want to put in place safeguards for our most precious biological possessions: our mind. Sara Goering, professor of philosophy at the UW, is quoted.

"Some ask whether climate policy has reached a 'social tipping point,' a self-reinforcing contagion process that will decarbonize the economy. Tipping points can be activated by interventions such as divesting from fossil fuel assets or exposing the moral failings of a fossil fuel economy, both of which are reflected in the recent developments in Chevron, Shell, and ExxonMobil," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science.

Mark Ward, lecturer in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, discusses peace in Afghanistan.

In a paper published online last month, Bo Zhao, assistant professor of geography at the UW, employed AI techniques similar to those used to create so-called deepfakes to alter satellite images of several cities. Zhao and colleagues swapped features between images of Seattle and Beijing to show buildings where there are none in Seattle and to remove structures and replace them with greenery in Beijing.

Ralina Joseph, Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity Director and Presidential Term Professor in the UW Department of Communication, discusses the Center's upcoming conference.

Wing Luke Museum’s “Asian American Women Rising: NOT Your Model Minority” was a masterfully crafted webinar on May 22, with the goal of inspiring viewers to participate in our democracy for the purpose of ending hate and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders\, especially women. The UW's Connie So, teaching professor of American ethnic studies, and student Tianna Andresen are quoted.

"As social scientists and public health practitioners familiar with Nepal’s health care delivery and emergency response systems, we recognize that ultimately, the capacity to care for people suffering from COVID-19 in Nepal is severely limited, with roughly 1,500 intensive care beds and just over 800 ventilators in the country. The mountainous terrain throughout much of the country, along with a lack of infrastructure, political marginalization and poverty compound the impacts of infectious disease," write David Citrin, affiliate assistant professor of global health and of anthropology at the UW; Katharine Rankin of the University of Toronto; Galen Murton of James Madison University; and Sienna Craig of Dartmouth College.